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A Friendship for the Pages

By

Alexandra Alter

Updated May 11, 2010 12:01 a.m. ET

Martin Amis says his new novel, "The Pregnant Widow," isn't remotely autobiographical, but members of his circle will instantly recognize Nicholas, the protagonist's older brother. A sandy-haired freakishly articulate leftist who's fond of word play and more interested in politics than sex, Nicholas resembles a certain irreverent public intellectual who's targeted figures such as Princess Diana and Mother Teresa.

Christopher Hitchens says he was "flattered and honored" to appear in the novel as an older...